The Blood of Awan
by hoggle75
Summary: Cain takes the place of his brother, choosing to save him over his wife, Awan, and their child. Awan, faced with the evil the love of her life has accepted, pledges her life and the lives of her children in saving the world from his choice of evil. Centuries later, Dean Winchester takes the Mark of Cain, unaware that his childhood companion is the only one who can save him.
1. Prologue - My Love Will Not Let You Down

Awan stared in horror at her husband's tortured face, his vacant black eyes staring back at her. His hands were covered in the blood of his brother whose body lay dying at his feet. The odd jawbone-shaped blade still stuck in Abel's chest.

'Cain,' she whispered in horror, 'what have you done?'

His black eyes bore into her but he said nothing. He stooped and pulled the blade from the body, wiping it clean on the animal skin covering his legs. 'I saved him,' he finally said, his voice no longer the gentle sound that warmed her heart. He heard the cold and distant tone produced from his throat. He suddenly felt regret with the choice he'd made, staring at the woman before him. Her soft dark skin, her dark hair and her bright green eyes no longer his to have as comfort. He hardened his resolve, wishing this moment could be finished quickly.

'I don't understand,' she said. 'How could you have saved him by killing him?' She couldn't make sense of what her husband had done. He was normally a gentle man with his large, calloused hands from tilling the land. She looked into his wide-set eyes, wishing for the return of their normal bright blue color. She wished she could remove the streaks of blood from his long, dark hair, remove the taint of evil from his form.

'He wasn't talking with the Lord Our God,' he replied, the cold tone stronger this time. 'He was talking to the Fallen One, Lucifer. He had sold his soul. He was going to Hell.'

He turned to face her again. The blade was finally sheathed and stuck into the rope at his waist. She saw the angry red mark on his right arm and looked back up to his black eyes.

'I couldn't let that happen to him. He's my brother. So, I took his place.' He told her and held out the arm with the red mark shaped similar to the blade he'd held. One line travelled along his arm, with small lines growing out of it, like teeth. A final, longer line was at the end of the bottom line, forming what looked like the side of a box. 'I took on his curse, but to do so, I had to kill him. Now, he has gone to Heaven, and I will go to Hell for what I have done.' He shook his head, wishing the sight of her didn't make his choice so difficult. He'd thought he'd be able to take his brother's place with ease. Staring into her green eyes broke his heart and his hands itched, wishing to touch her swollen belly growing the life inside her they'd created through their love.

She held back the sob that wished to escape from her as her heart broke. Her love, her partner, the father of the babe growing within her, was gone. His blackened eyes proved he was already in Hell, already given over to the evil the taking of his brother's life had produced. She wouldn't let him go without a fight.

'What happens now?' she asked, afraid of his response. 'Where will we go? When the others see what you have done…'

'I am leaving. You will stay here.' He spoke harshly, his throat tightening in response to the clenching in his heart. Her love for him nearly destroyed his resolve. He'd known the moment he'd taken the Mark of the curse from Lucifer, the ability to wield the First Blade, the sacrifice to save his brother had also meant leaving this woman who had pledged herself to him, had loved him and the child they'd been so happy to find they were expecting.

'No!' She exclaimed. The fear of losing him clutched at her heart, making her feel weak. 'You are my husband. We made a vow before God, we are united through everything.' She looked at his black eyes, anger at his decision making her bold. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers. 'I will go where you go. We will share this burden together. I will help you.'

'You cannot!' He said harshly, struggling to maintain control over the anger and evil starting to build inside him. He could feel the voice starting to whisper in his brain…it wanted him to hurt her, stop her breath, stop her heart and watch her die. He could feel himself wanting to give in.

He clutched her to him, his hand at her throat, feeling the swell of her stomach between them. He kissed her, watching her face as her eyes closed at the touch of his lips and a tear fell from them, rolling down onto her lips. He tasted the salt of her pain as he kissed her again. 'I love you Awan.'

He pulled away and without warning his hand started to tighten around her throat. The thought of her living without him, raising their child away from him fed his anger and he felt his grip grow tighter.

She opened her eyes and looked into the black pools of the man she'd vowed to love and obey in the eyes of God. She clutched at his hand, clawing to get breath to her body. Her thoughts sped toward the child in her womb, the attack on her affecting them both.

'Cain' she gasped. 'Please….our…child…'she begged with what little air she had left. The face in front of her smiled smugly and her vision began to blur. The black eyes were growing bigger, engulfing her in their depths.

Her pain fed him, enabling him to ignore her struggled plea for the life inside her. A small part of him begged for her release, but was easily quieted. The Mark of the curse, the call of the Blade so strong already, his thirst for death begged to be quenched with the taking of her soul. He smiled broader as he felt her slip further away from this life.

She struggled against the tightening grip and silently prayed to the God she believed loved her and the man trying to bring her life to an end. She begged to God for the life of her child. She swore an oath to God, pledging her life and the lives of her children to stopping the curse that had torn her family apart before it could even begin, if He saved them. For she knew that it wasn't the man clutching her throat who wanted to kill her, he was the current tool the Curse had chosen to use. His brother had failed in rejecting temptation and Cain had been made to suffer instead, to sacrifice his love and his family.

Suddenly, the ground shook around them violently. Cain released her and she fell, gasping and choking for air, a struggle made even more difficult by the dust thrown into the air around them by the shaking Earth. Cain finally lost his balance and fell hard next to her.

He shook his head and for a moment, his eyes became the light blue she'd always known. He smiled at her for just a second and she saw again the man she'd fallen in love with. Her heart warmed at the sight of his eyes until the black came rushing back to them and he stood, a hand raising to strike her as she lay at his feet, still struggling to breath.

Cain started to lower his hand to her beautiful face when he felt himself being thrown backwards through the air, landing some twenty feet away from his pregnant wife. He shook himself off and stood staring as his dying brother rose to his feet with glowing blue eyes and a long, solid, diamond-shaped silver blade in his hand. He smiled, the curse providing him with the knowledge of who stood before him.

'Gabriel' he stated, his lips curling into a cruel smile, the jawbone weapon, the First Blade already in his hand. 'You've come to protect a mortal?'

The angel Gabriel, the fourth of the Watchers, stared at the mortal man in front of him and frowned at how quickly he could see the man's soul was being consumed by the dark curse. He knew that had been Lucifer's true intent in speaking with Abel, to rid him of the curse that held the Darkness, to convince the mortal man to take the curse from him. It was the first step in Lucifer's plan to be released from his eternal prison. Abel had never been given the chance to take the curse as Cain had made the deal to save his brother from endless suffering. Cain had been the better choice, the stronger and sturdier soul, which now fed the curse and locked the Darkness away…for now.

The Darkness would not be sated forever. It was a power unknown to all, but eventually would be discovered, sniffed out by good or evil and how it would be used, God would not say. He would only say that a better way must be found to bind it. If they could not find that way, The Darkness would break free and the Angels would be called upon to battle it away again, if they could. They had almost lost the first time they'd sent their army against it. Then, a glimmer of hope had come.

Gabriel turned to the woman at his feet, his expression changing to one of polite curiousness. This woman, Awan, had pledged herself and those that would come forth into this world, beget from this union of love between her and Cain and before God. She had pledged herself into service to defeating the Darkness, now held inside the man that she loved. The instant the oath had been lifted to God; He had dispatched Gabriel into the almost-dead form of Abel to save the woman and the babes inside her. For Awan was carrying two lives inside of her, a boy and a girl, and both would be saved as acceptance of the woman's gift.

Gabriel offered the woman his hand. When she accepted it a jolt went through him, a feeling he'd only ever experienced before when he directly heard the word of His Father in his ear. It was a feeling of love. He was startled by it as he'd never through of a human, a mortal in this way before. Not that he'd met many of them. There weren't all that many on the Earth yet.

'Your pledge has been accepted, your souls are saved.' He said to her, not wanting to seal this covenant with her, knowing the dangers that would be ahead for her and the generations of her children to come. 'I have come as a messenger of God to deliver you from this evil.'

Awan stared at the dead man with the glowing eyes as he helped her to her feet and sobbed as understanding sprouted within her. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she held the hand of the Angel and focused on the man who had been her husband.

'I love you Cain. I will never stop loving you. I have promised to stop this curse you have taken, and I will, no matter how long it takes. Someday, I will save you. We will be together again, the family we were supposed to be.' She longed for the black eyes that held her gaze to show something in response, to show that he even recognized the love she still held for him.

Cain heard her words and shook his head, the cruel smile on his face turning colder. 'If you come near me again, Awan, I will not hesitate to take your life, Angel or no Angel. You are useless to me now, unless you are dead. That is the only way you can help me now.' He no longer saw love, only pain. He no longer yearned for the child they'd created, only the ending of life. The Darkness had consumed him.

He strode towards his wife and the Angel, the First Blade in his hand and the thirst for blood in his heart. He felt himself being slammed backwards through the air again, but rose to his feet quickly, ready to attack again.

Awan felt Gabriel touch her left arm near the elbow and a searing pain struck her there and quickly disappeared. She looked down and saw on her skin a mark made of two lines. One line appeared to go up and down and the other line started at the top of the first and went along the line of her arm going slightly upwards in an angle. The top line was as long as her first finger and the bottom line was half that size.

The mark on her arm looked like the mark on Cain's arm without the small teeth-like lines along the bottom line of his mark. Her mark was a bright white instead of the dark red of his. The angle and direction of her mark made it look like it would cover Cain's if they were drawn together, creating a box between their two marks with the small lines along the bottom of his in the center of the box.

Gabriel thrust the oddly shaped silver blade into her hand and spoke to her. 'You have been Blessed by God and will be able to wield the powers of an Angel when needed. You will never be understood or accepted and will always be hunting for the Mark of Cain, the curse of the First Blade. This blade' he indicated the silver weapon in her hand, 'can only be used by one with the Mark of Awan, the wife of Cain, the White Witch.' He touched her head and sent the gift God had given to him for her into her mortal soul.

Awan felt the power surge through her, felt the love of her God surround her and fill her, leaving only open the space in her heart where she still held the love for her husband, Cain. It was this that would carry her through, she understood. It was this God would leave her to allow her to fulfill her promise, even if it wasn't within her lifetime. She looked up to the Heaven's, tears streaming down her face, and closed her eyes. 'Thank you,' she said.

She opened her eyes to see Gabriel looking at her in a very peculiar way and over his shoulder, Cain speeding towards them again, blade raised to strike the dead man in his path. She pushed Gabriel out of the way and raised the solid silver blade to meet Cain's swing as he brought the First Blade down where Gabriel had been standing.

'NO!' Cain screamed, a crazy shriek coming from his mouth. 'You will never stop me.'

'I will,' she replied, calmly. A white hot strength ran through her as she raised her blade to meet his. The strength of his strike vibrated through her arms. She let go with one hand and raised it to his chest and pushed, sending him flying through the air, much like the Angel had done. 'But, not today.'

She nodded at Gabriel, the knowledge of the plan having entered her mind when the Angel had given her God's blessing. She looked at Cain one more time. 'I will always love you my husband. I hope someday that you will be able to remember that.'

Cain looked at her from across the dry land. 'I will strike you down today so that there will be nothing to remember.' He felt the bloodlust within him, crying out for her. She would lose this battle today. He started to run at her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Angel snap his fingers…

And he was falling, down a wooded slope, landing in a muddied stream. He looked around and saw no one near him and daylight appeared to be fading. It was as it had been told to him by Lucifer. He was cursed to walk the Earth alone. His body still yearned for the life of the woman who had fought against him.

'Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!' he cried as the darkness slowly crept in around him.

Awan stared at the empty spot in the sand where Cain had been just seconds before. She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Suddenly, pain struck her swollen belly and she dropped to her knees crying out.

Gabriel knelt beside her. He knew what was happening, but hadn't expected it so soon after he had vanquished the Cain to the other side of the Earth. He looked up to Heaven, waiting for instructions. He was unsure if he was to stay for this event or if he was to return to his watching. He felt Awan grab his hand and squeeze it tightly, an act that would be very painful for the average mortal.

'Help me, please…'Awan cried to the Angel, tugging at his hand. She felt herself fall backwards, could feel movement in her belly. It was happening so fast. Was this normal? 'I don't know…'

Gabriel moved in front of her, unsure himself of what to do, but having seen the births of Cain and Abel, he used his knowledge as best he could. The babies were coming quickly almost as if they were being forced out by the gift of power Awan had been given. The crown of the first child was already coming out as Awan cried out in pain, her body having no time to adjust to the calamitous act it was participating in.

A minute later the baby was in Gabriel's arms crying. Awan cried out as she realized a second child was coming. 'Two? How…I don't understand?' she cried out again. She looked toward the Angel holding her child and saw the child had been cleaned and covered in soft animal fur. She began to pant as she felt the same movements from minutes before rippling through her body.

Gabriel placed the boy child on the ground as he prepared for the next birth. He looked at Awan with a renewed curiosity. He felt that warm sensation of love as he watched her bring forth the second child. He glanced at the boy on the ground, wailing against the strangeness around him. He felt the face of the almost dead body he wore smile as the warmth continued to grow in him. Was he falling in love with humans? He was supposed to watch only, bring messages when instructed. He was not supposed to participate and yet here he was, grasping a second child from the womb of this strong and surprising woman whose love for Gabriel's Father, her God, matched his own. That she could hold the same love for a mortal as well intrigued him to no end. He felt bound to her now through the sharing of this act, by bringing life into this world.

Awan felt the life release from her and her body slowly ceased its convulsive movements. She saw her second child being held in the Angel's arms and again the child was covered with skins and clean. This child was not howling, but quiet. Content to be in the arms of the being that had caught it from its safe haven. She felt too weak to move to comfort the babe still crying, her heart still trying to reconcile all that had happened in so short a time in this day.

Gabriel looked at her, his eyes still a glowing blue. He reached out his hand and touched her forehead again, removing the exhaustion and pain that had come from her unnatural birthing speed. He saw her close her eyes and accept the comfort he provided.

When she opened her eyes, she looked at him and then sat up, reaching for the child on the ground. She removed the skins covering her and instinctively knew her son was hungry. Without knowing why, she removed the covering over her breast and held him to her, unsurprised when he began to suckle, instantly quieting.

'How did you know?' the Angel asked her.

She looked up at him surprised. 'I don't know. How do you not know?'

He looked at her almost embarrassed. 'I've only seen a birth twice before. I'm supposed to watch, but even I don't see everything. You…you are stronger than I believed mortals to be.'

'You are not a mortal, are you?' Awan asked him. She did not fear his response. He had saved her many times this day. She had no reason to believe he would bring her harm.

'I am an Angel, one of the Watchers. My name is Gabriel.' He told her. He was surprised he was being allowed to answer questions. He had expected to be called back and reprimanded by now. He found that he was happy to not have to leave. He was enjoying this woman and these children. The girl child lay content in his arms, not moving, her eyes clasped closed. She appeared at peace after her ordeal of being born.

'Why are you in the body of a dead man?'

'He is not fully dead and was a compatible host. He agreed to let me enter him in the hopes to save his brother as a thank you for his sacrifice. God let me come to you because of the promise you made to Him. I could not come to you in my true form. You would die if you saw that.' He told her, again surprised with the ease with which he spoke to her.

She nodded, accepting the information he gave her without reservation. She had faith in her God and would not doubt the messenger that He had sent to assist her. She felt the boy begin to slow in his feeding. 'Where is Cain?'

'He was sent East, as I was instructed. He will not come for you or your children, I promise. The First Blade, the Mark, they will recognize the power that you have, the potential to control their thirst for blood or even to stop it. He will not seek you out to harm you again, I think.' Gabriel regarded her as she listened to his words. None of this seemed to surprise her. She was so accepting of the fate her oath had given her. 'However, he may seek to control you once he comes to understand the power you now hold. He may try to turn you into a demon. Because, that is what he has become, a demon. And you, your bloodline, will be the only one that will ever be able to control the demon inside of him or anyone else that ever wears the Mark.'

'What is the power I was given? Why?' she asked, suddenly timid. The boy slept in her arms as the girl began to stir in his. She snuggled the boy close for a moment then handed the babe to him as she took the girl to her breast. The tiny human immediately began feeding and Awan focused on Gabriel again, her face expectant. She was waiting for an answer.

He remembered what God said to him as he was about to go to Awan's side. 'It is her love. The equal love for me and for him that she has in her heart, that power may be the only thing that can defeat The Darkness. Make her strong Gabriel. She is to be given enough Grace to match the love in her heart. This will keep her bloodline strong enough to be able to fight when the time comes. For the time will come too often I fear.'

Gabriel repeated the words God had said to him, to her and she forced herself to focus on them. She closed her eyes and willed away the image of Cain holding her by her throat as he took away her breath, almost destroying their family in a single act. She looked at the sleeping male child in Gabriel's arms and knew that he and any children born of him would never be harmed or at risk of the promise she'd put on her blood. He would be happy and content in his life, good and simple. She smiled, unsure again of how she knew that her feelings would be made real.

Then she looked at the girl at her breast, suckling slowly. This child would bear the brunt of the servitude set before her family line. Those and all born from her would be affected until the Darkness was controlled or defeated, or her bloodline was dead. A tear rolled down her cheek and she kissed the babe on the top of her soft head. 'I'm sorry Embeth,' she said, calling the child by a name she hadn't realized she'd chosen. 'I'm sorry for the path you must follow, the task you must carry out. Please remember always, that you were born of love, both in this world and in this quest.'

The child gurgled and then went silent. Her tiny eyes opened for a minute and Awan swore that they were the brilliant blue of her father's staring up at her and then the eyes closed and the babe nodded off to sleep.

'What will you name him? Gabriel asked her, his face an expression of mild anticipation.

'Enoch,' she replied, leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on the boy's head. She returned her gaze to Gabriel's borrowed face, a thought coming to her. A shudder of fear ran through her body. 'You cannot stay, can you?'

He shook his head, feeling sad that he could not remain with her. He wanted to stay with her and the newborn mortals. He wanted to do more than watch them grow. He wanted to be a participant in their process. He wanted to stay with this woman and help her in the coming journey. He…wanted, which was not what an Angel was supposed to do.

Awan watched as Gabriel handed Enoch back to her and stood. His face went through various phases before he responded to her question. 'No, I…cannot. I wish…I wish I could though. I would like to stay with you.'

She smiled at him and he felt the warm feeling spread through his body again. 'I do not wish you to stay Gabriel,' she said and he felt disappointed by her words. 'I do wish to ask you for your help. Please, as an Angel, a watcher, you will see things. Watch over my children, please. Help them if they lose their way or if the demons find them. You were sent by God to protect me. Keep my children safe. Hide them from Cain until the time is right and the battle must be fought. Please.'

He looked at her pleading face, the tears in her eyes. He knew he could not refuse. He would watch over her children until the day came that he could not. He realized that in this short time he had come to love this woman as much as he loved his Father. He would agree to any request she had for the rest of his life.

'I promise.' He said and touched her face before he left the body of Abel, the first man to be murdered.

Awan watched the body of Abel crumple to the ground. She knew that Gabriel would keep his promise and would watch over her children for the rest of his days. Somehow, Embeth, or one of her offspring, would save Cain, the man who had sacrificed himself for his brother. Somehow, they would stop The Darkness; make the Mark and The First Blade become tame.

She stood and began walking towards the home she had shared with Cain. Sunlight glinted off something at the rope she hadn't seen tied round her waist. The diamond shaped solid silver blade dangled there. She would find a way to keep it safe until it was needed again. She would keep them all safe, she knew.

And somehow, someday, she would be reunited with her love again. Cain would be saved, they would be together again and The Darkness would be kept at bay.


	2. Chapter 1 - Last to Die

Bobby Singer had loved his wife very much, right up until the moment that he'd stabbed her. It hadn't actually been her, she'd been possessed by a demon. Demons were real. They possessed people in real life, not just at the movies and on TV. But, just like in TV and the movies, they could be returned to hell...excised from their human host through rituals and other means. Unfortunately, humans rarely survived these possessions.

Monsters were real, too. He'd found that out when he'd gotten help to get rid of the demon that had possessed Karen. Rufus Turner was a hunter of demons and monsters. He had been reading the signs, following the trail of the demon. He'd watched Karen attack Bobby with superhuman strength...had watched Bobby stab his wife. Then, Rufus had helped Bobby subdue Karen and Rufus had performed the exorcism. Rufus had helped him hide his wife's body and stood beside him while he had cried.

He and Karen hadn't had a family. Three days before she'd died, Karen had tried to talk to him about wanting kids and he had finally admitted that he didn't want children, had never wanted them. She still hadn't been speaking to him when the demon took her over body. Once the demon had been removed, Karen had died instantly from the wounds Bobby had inflicted on her in self-defense. And...the demon had said he'd be back before it had disappeared...Bobby knew if it ever did come back, he would be ready.

He'd started hunting monsters and ghosts and demons with Rufus. That had been 5 years ago.

Tonight, as he and Rufus parked the banged up blue Chevy in the driveway, he looked at the house in front of him. The small, one-story residence was painted yellow with blue shutters. It was close to the street and had a small, white picket fence that ran the front of the property. The lawn was cared for and a variety of pink and purple flowers dotted the gardens spaced around the house. The walkway that led up to the house was complete with a small white wooden gate and a mailbox painted the same blue as the shutters.

He heard the voice from the call he'd received that morning. _'I'm…I'm looking for Bobby Singer. This is Karen's sister Joyce. I know…we've never spoken. I should've reached out after Karen's death, I just wasn't sure... I wasn't sure what you knew…wasn't sure what I could…or should tell you. I…I need your help…'_

A strange screeching sound had come over the phone line, cancelling out the voice on the other end. Then all he'd heard was a dial tone. He'd dialed the operator, trying to reverse the call to the original number, but the operator had told him that the line was busy and that she couldn't break through. He'd asked if she could give him the location or the number. She'd given him both, which is why he and Rufus were now sitting in a driveway in Madison, Wisconsin.

He'd never known that his wife had any family. Karen had told him that her parents had died when she was 19. They'd won a vacation somewhere and there had been a boating accident. She'd never mentioned a sister or any other remaining family.

He opened the car door, a loud whine coming from the rusted hinges. He watched Rufus exiting the car from the passenger's seat and returned his gaze to the house in front of him. The lights coming from the windows were soft and inviting. He conducted a swift scan of the peaceful neighborhood and seriously considered climbing back into his car. Everything looked perfectly normal. So, why did the hairs keep rising at the back of his neck?

He shut the door to the Chevy and started up the cement walkway to the front door, Rufus right behind him. When he got to the stoop, he realized that the door was slightly cracked open and the door handle was missing. He'd been unable to see it from the angle of his car in the driveway. He quietly removed the gun he always kept in the holster at his hip and undid the safety mechanism, nodding as his partner did the same. He slowly opened the door and softly stepped into the house, Rufus close at his heel.

He and Rufus methodically made their way through the front of the house, sweeping left to right with their guns. The house was chilly, a sharp contrast to the soft and warm lights inviting entry. Moving towards the back of the house, he heard a quiet, muffled moaning. He looked at Rufus and nodded his head in the direction of the where the sound was coming from. Rufus backtracked the route they came and Bobby knew he was looking for an alternate way to get to the sound. Bobby walked forward and as he entered the kitchen, his heart dropped at the sight before him.

A large, blonde man stood with his back to him. The man was not moving, but was breathing heavily, the large movements of his shoulders betraying a recent exertion. The left side of his head seemed to be bleeding as the hair was rust-colored and matted. The man's head tilted at an odd angle from the neck, almost like it was just being held up by the skin around it. One of the man's legs seemed to bend incorrectly.

In front of the man, gagged and bloodied, was a woman, vaguely similar to Karen's shape and coloring – right down to the short, light brown hair. Her dark brown eyes were holding back tears and her mouth was covered by a dirty rag, causing her to struggle to breath. The man turned to look at Bobby as he entered the room. The man's eyes were black and Bobby knew that the man was possessed.

'Well, is this your cavalry, Joyce? Has he come here to save you? He's not very goooooooood,' the man said, mockingly, 'You know that, don't you? He couldn't save your sister. I wouldn't put any faith in a rescue at this point.'

Bobby looked past the demon and saw that the woman's wide eyes showed a momentary relief. She knew who he was.

'What do you want?' he asked the demon.

'I came to end the line. The upper echelons of Hell have finally found their enemy's family and have come to take their revenge. There is a large reward for anyone who can destroy them. I just need to finish with Mommy over here and find the child and take care of her.

'Child?' Bobby asked as Rufus entered the kitchen from behind the woman, gun pointed in the direction of the demon. Rufus didn't say a word, just nodded so that he knew that Rufus was waiting for him to make the next move.

The demon sighed and turned. At the sight of Rufus, he smiled with an evil glee.

'Yes, the child, the last to be born from the union of Cain and his wife, Awan.' The blonde man turned back in the direction of the woman. 'Jamie didn't need to die, did he Joycie? If only he'd picked up the phone when you tried to call him…However, he's become a rather nice vessel, don't you think? I might just keep him.' The demon turned and smiled at Bobby, showing perfectly aligned white teeth.

Joyce had wanted to cry with relief when she'd watched the scruffy-looking, brown haired man enter her kitchen. Although she'd never met him, she knew Bobby Singer from the pictures Karen had sent from their wedding. He'd looked younger and happier in the pictures. Joyce understood that. Gabriel had kept her informed about Karen, sending messages, calling or even the occasional visit. When Karen had died, she hadn't reached out to her sister's husband to keep him safe. That was what Karen would've wanted. It was why they'd all separated after their parents' deaths, to keep the family safe.

Now, she mentally apologized to her sister for reaching out to Bobby for help. She knew he'd become a hunter thanks to Gabriel. The angel's visits had slowed over the years, at least to her. Sara, her twin sister, was the one who'd had the Mark appear when their parents had died. The same Mark their mother had carried on her right forearm. The instant it had appeared, Sara's green eyes had glowed and a diamond-shaped, silver blade flew into Sara's hand. Sara had inherited Awan's responsibility to defeat Cain.

Their mother had told them the legend of their ancestor. She'd introduced them to Gabriel, the Archangel who'd promised to watch over their family. The Archangel who had successfully carried out his mission, until recently.

Karen, her older sister, was dead, possessed by a demon to gain information about their family and killed by a man who was now Bobby's hunting partner. Sara, her husband and her unborn daughter had been in a car accident last night. Joyce had received the call this morning that all three had passed away due to complications from the accident. As she hung up, she'd looked at her arm, expecting the blazing white Mark to appear, but it hadn't. That meant only one thing: Ripley. She'd tried calling her husband at work before he went to pick up their daughter, with no luck. She'd prayed to Gabriel over and over, still he'd yet to appear. As a last resort, she'd called Bobby Singer.

Now, as she watched the demon hold up his hand, the guns flew from the hands of Bobby and the black man who had come in with him, who she knew was his hunting partner. Another move from the demon's hand and Bobby was forced up against the kitchen wall and held there, almost like he was tied by invisible ropes. Bobby's partner started grabbing at his throat and began gagging, like he was choking on the air around him.

The demon turned back to Joyce and pulled the gag from her mouth. 'Where is she?' he asked coldly.

'I…don't know. She was with you – her father, he was picking her up from the sitter.' Joyce replied.

Bobby looked at the woman. She was calmer than he'd noticed before. Her chin was jutting out, almost in defiance, and her stare was cool as she looked at the demon. She was definitely scared, but she also seemed…determined? She wasn't giving into the demon without a fight.

'She ran off. Didn't even wait for anyone to come to the scene of the accident. Daddy here died almost instantly. His neck snapped in two when I drove that truck into his car. He did, however, have enough life in him for me to take over and keep him going!' the demon laughed at his little joke before his voice turned into a snarl. 'Your daughter, well, she was too quick for me. She completely disappeared. It appears she must have been conscious and ran off. She has nowhere else to go though…no other family at all…she has to return here. We can wait until she comes.'

Joyce's face went white for a moment, like something very bad occurred to her. The demon laughed again, almost like he was reading her thoughts. 'Yes, Joyce, she's the very last one. She's the only one born to this generation…but, you knew that, didn't you. You'd begun to notice all the 'accidents' that were occurring in your family. The accidents that were thanks to me and mine…your parents drowning on their vacation,' the demon turned his direction to Bobby again. 'You're older sister possessed and killed by the man she loved…and now,' the demon turned to Joyce, 'Your husband gone in another tragic accident and you and your daughter soon to follow.'

Joyce's defiance began to falter. Her tears began again, this time they seemed to be coming quickly. Bobby struggled against his invisible chains. He saw Rufus's eyes begin to bulge wildly in his face. If Rufus didn't get oxygen soon, he would die. But, Bobby didn't understand what the demon was talking about. All he knew was that he needed to get out of this hold, needed to get help to Rufus and this woman. Plus, there was a little girl out there – his...neice? – that was being hunted by demons and he needed to figure out how to help her.

He felt a strong breeze move through the house and could've sworn he heard the sound of wings flapping. Suddenly, he dropped hard on the kitchen floor. He looked across the room and saw Rufus gulping in air and coughing hard.

'You will not have the child,' a quiet voice spoke to his right.

Bobby turned. A man, about his size, was standing in the door frame of the kitchen. He had a smirk on his face, but his eyes glowed with power. The man gazed calmly at the demon in front of him. He could feel power radiating from the stranger.

The demon turned and looked at the man. Anger radiated through the demon's visage, mixed with surprise. 'Gabriel. I didn't think you were still around. Haven't seen you in ages…Neither has the rest of your family, according the whispers that abound. Your brother misses you.'

'Ahhhh…of course. You are on a misguided mission for Lucifer,' the man called Gabriel replied, still calmly standing in the doorway. 'And, how is he? Still trapped in a cage?'

The demon snarled at him. 'Doesn't matter if he is. He will be released very soon, especially once I have the girl.'

'I've already told you, you will not have her.' Gabriel said again.

'Are you sure about that?' the demon asked, an evil look in his eye.

Suddenly, the demon turned his head to the ceiling and a large, oily stream of black smoke erupted from his mouth. The man fell to the floor. Rufus still trying to breath regularly, reached out to the man to help him, but it was too late. The demon had left the man's body and it was now clear, that had been the only thing keeping the body alive.

The smoke moved towards the woman and forced it's way into her mouth as she struggled against her bonds. As quickly as the onslaught had started, it stopped. She went limp in the chair she was held. The room was filled with an eerie silence. The woman slowly raised her head. Her bonds broke with a snap and she stood, staring at Gabriel. Her eyes were black and her mouth was formed into a cruel smile.

'They will all die, Gabriel,' Joyce said. 'And I wi-'

Gabriel moved so fast, Bobby didn't realize he stood before the woman until Gabriel had his hand on her throat. He saw a flash of silver as something dropped from Gabriel's jacket sleeve into his hand.

'I'm sorry Joyce...' Bobby heard Gabriel whisper, then saw him thrust a bright silver blade into her chest.

The woman's head was thrown back again and blinding white light erupted from her eyes and mouth. She fell backwards into the chair with such force that the chair tipped over and she tumbled to the floor. Bobby moved forward to help the woman and found Gabriel was already on the floor, Joyce cradled to his chest. Again, Bobby wondered at Gabriel's speed.

Joyce's eyes fluttered open and Gabriel smiled down at her face. He felt the tears starting to sting and blinked them back. 'I'm so, so sorry,' he said.

'No...no other...choice...'she said weakly. Her eyes widened and her face contorted with pain. She was going to die. He'd felt the demon claw up her insides when he'd stabbed her, when his power had destroyed the demon. The demon had left it's own mark and they were beyond his ability to repair.

He returned his focus to Joyce and saw her eyes find his again. He saw the unspoken question there. 'I have her. She's ok.' She smiled at him and then closed her eyes, tears streaming from them. Her body quickly went limp and her head lolled back, the small smile still on her face.

Gabriel felt the tears fall freely down his face. He held Joyce to his chest for a moment and then lowered her body to the floor. This wasn't supposed to have happened.

Bobby watched the angel stand and rub his hand over his face. Rufus, standing next to him, began to raise his gun. Bobby held his hand out to stop him.

'That is a wise decision Bobby Singer.' the angel said, turning and staring at him. 'I have no reason to harm you or your partner.'

Gabriel flicked his hand and Bobby watched his gun fly from him for a second time that evening, Rufus's as well. They landed at Gabriel's feet. Bobby met Gabriel's steely glare with a rigid one of his own. He had so many questions, but he waited, as did Rufus.

'I am the Archangel, Gabriel,' the man began. 'And, I need your help.'


	3. Chapter 2 - Badlands

For the first time in his long existence, Gabriel, God's messenger and last created of the Archangels, was afraid. He cursed his Father's broken heart. God needed to return to Heaven and not a single soul knew where He was, not even Joshua, the gardener. Angels were restless and...Angry? Odd to try to classify him and his brethren with the terms of human emotions, yet it fit the situation that presented him.

His eldest brothers, Michael and Raphael, had lost patience with their Father. It mattered not to them the losses their Father had suffered: Going to war with His sister Amara, The Darkness, and having to banish her into practical non-existence; His eldest child rebelling against His Father's love for His innocent creations – Humans; His devastation at the loss of Lucifer, who was ultimately defeated and locked up in Hell for corrupting Paradise. And, finally, Gadreel, the Garden's gatekeeper, who had allowed Lucifer entrance to invade and taint the innocent, and truly, the whole Universe as it had been created.

The sadness had been unbearable to God and He'd left without a word. Every so often, he would send a message to Joshua. Outside of that, communication had been non-existent.

Gabriel understood some of the heartache his Father felt. After all, his eldest brother had been banished to Hell. Lucifer had been unable to continue to support his Father's vision, to put it simply. Gabriel enjoyed humans and had never shared his brother's views of the supposed 'lesser' beings. Still, he did miss his brother. Family was family.

Now, those same humans were in danger. Raphael and Michael wanted their Father to return and they were done waiting. If God was not going to return to Heaven, his brothers felt that they no longer needed to watch over and protect Humanity. The Archangels were determined to force God to return, one way or another.

Angels were visiting Earth, now more than ever in the history of modern Humanity. They were finding vessels that would allow them to walk the Earth and research prophecies written about the end of the world. There were a multitude of them and they varied across world cultures. A variety of different scenarios that spoke to the ways the world would end and the roles Heavenly beings and Hellish minions would play in these instances.

Angels were looking for ways to bring about the end of days, the great Apocalypse. The Angels had started to believe that if God wouldn't return, they could still bring about the Paradise that was promised. Murmurs had begun about the possibility of freeing Lucifer, and potentially, The Darkness herself, in retaliation for God's abandonment. For that, they would need Cain, which would mean that the descendant of Awan, the current White Witch, would have no choice but to try to stop him.

Gabriel knew it was time to leave Heaven and disappear. He had no want or need to be part of the condemnation of Humanity. He would need to visit Bobby and ensure that she would be safe from Angels and Demons until she was needed. This would most likely be the last time he would see her, as once he left Heaven, his Family would think he had betrayed his brethren and sided with Humanity and His Father. They would try to destroy him to ensure he would not fight against them.

Ripley Jean Singer, RJ to her friends and family, was a descendant of Cain. The Angels would be renewing their interest in the bloodlines of Cain and Abel, as those Humans had the tendencies to be the best hosts for the most powerful among them, himself included. When he disappeared, they would think he would have chosen from among those lines for a Human host. If they accidentally found her because of him, or her lineage, he would never be able to forgive himself.

He would need to disguise her from the view of Angels. He knew of only one way to do that and hoped he still had time before one of his brothers' minions was able to locate her and realize what she was. After that, he would put his plan into effect. He was grateful that the God of Mischief had been agreeable. He didn't want to have to worry about his brothers hunting him down for the rest of his existence. The plan he had devised with Loki would allow him some freedom. For that, he was grateful.

Now, to go and see an old…friend? He wasn't sure if Bobby Singer would ever consider him as a friend. Yet, since the moment Bobby had agreed to help Gabriel by adopting Ripley, that is how he had seen the human man. Bobby Singer had caused him to love another human being almost as much as Awan. His immediate decision to love, care and be responsible for the last White Witch had, once again, renewed Gabriel's faith in the Human race.

And, now, to repay him for his grace and love, Gabriel was going to have to break the man's heart.

* * *

'Look, Rip, I think it's time we tell Bobby,' Dean Winchester said quietly. He looked intently at his girlfriend and found himself frustrated that she continued to be distracted. They needed to have this conversation, even if she didn't want to hear it. Now that she had finally graduated high school, he was done waiting to move on to the next step of their lives together. To do that, they needed to get past a very large obstacle: Bobby Singer – Ripley's Uncle and adopted father and Dean's father's best friend.

Ripley turned her attention away from the man who had been staring at her boyfriend and back to Dean. She struggled hard not to roll her eyes at the topic of conversation that he wanted to discuss, again. Her handsome, broad-shouldered, hazel-eyed, tough-as-nails, supernatural hunter-in-training boyfriend was like a dog with a bone when he had something on his mind.

Bobby Singer was not going to want to be a part of any conversation where Ripley identified that she – A, had a boyfriend; B, had been seeing said boyfriend for over two years; and C, logically would conclude that she'd had sex with said boyfriend. Bobby would bluster and rant and rave and would not want to acknowledge her being with any man. It would be even worse because it was Dean and she had not trusted Bobby enough to tell him that they were together.

Bobby had never made her feel like she was an obligation. He'd worked hard to earn her trust. As far as she knew, he'd never told anybody about her secret and had done everything he could to make sure she was prepared for whatever the future may hold. He'd treated her like she was his own daughter, loved her like she was his, from the day the angel had dropped her at his front door.

He'd opened his life, his heart and his home to the Winchesters too. John Winchester had started coming around to ask for help tracking the demon that killed his wife, about a year after Ripley moved in with Bobby. He'd had two boys with him, 7 year old Dean and 5 year old Sam. With her being the age between the two boys, they'd all become fast friends. She and Dean had a love for cars and a reverence for the father figures in their lives. She and Sam would talk books and school. She and Sam weren't fans of school itself, but they both enjoyed learning and being challenged. Whenever John came around to work with Bobby, or eventually to just leave the boys with them for long trips, the three kids were inseparable.

A couple of years ago, Bobby had given her, possibly, the best birthday present ever: a 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra II. It was the same model that Farrah Fawcett had driven in Charlie's Angels. It was beaten to hell, but the bones were still good and the insides were in pretty decent shape as well. She knew it wasn't the coolest Mustang out there…not the most revered or considered the most classic version of the car. But, that didn't matter. Bobby knew it was special because of her mother. She'd named the car Girl, after Bobby. He never referred to her as Ripley or RJ, when he was mad. He always bellowed 'Girl!' He'd laughed and smiled at the name.

After the shock of losing her family, she had been reluctant to become close to someone else that she might lose. When she'd finally started to open up to him, he had talked with her about her family, especially her mom and dad. He had wanted to make sure that she held on to the memories of them, the love they shared.

One of the memories she had told him about was watching reruns of Charlie's Angels and Wonder Woman on television with her mom when she was really little. Her mom would let her stay up late and they'd cuddle together watching tough women save the day on TV. Her mom would say that Ripley was just like them, strong and tough and her dad would say that meant Ripley was just like her mom.

Soon after she had come to live with Bobby, Gabriel had begun to make regular visits to teach her about her role to play in future prophecies. Gabriel was a tough instructor and he did not show mercy because of her age. Gabriel felt a greater responsibility to her because he felt like he'd let her down when the demons had massacred her family. For the past 13 years, he had shown her how to wield her powers and her angel blade better than any of her predecessors. He gave her rigorous instruction, determined that she would be prepared for any danger that would come her way.

When the training had first begun, she'd cried every night. Bobby had not known what to do. She wouldn't talk to him about the training or her fear that she would never be good enough to save anyone, especially herself or him. So, Bobby had looked for ways to comfort her and he'd focused on the best memory she had of her mother and father.

He'd bought Wonder Woman decorations for her bedroom and comic books for her to read. He'd even played Wonder Woman and Charlie's Angels with her. Then he'd bought her Girl and had worked with her to restore the car to its current shape of perfection. As she'd never really fit in with kids at school and had never really made friends outside of Sam and Dean, it had been her and Bobby against the world. He was a great father and she loved him as much as she had loved her mom and dad.

When she had moved into her teens, she'd been a bit of a late bloomer and hadn't really fit into her body until the middle of her sophomore year. The Winchesters hadn't been around a lot during that particular winter. They'd returned right before school let out that year.

Ripley hadn't really thought about the extra few inches that had rounded her body out. And then she'd seen the way that Dean had looked at her. No one had ever looked at her that way before. Until that moment she'd never thought about wanting someone to look at her that way. She and Bobby had spoken at length about her desire to end Awan's curse – as she thought of it – with her. Ripley didn't want to pass it on to anyone.

'Hello…Earth to Rip?' Dean said through, a little louder than he had meant to. Ripley had done the eye roll thing that she always did when she didn't want to talk about something. She had a lot of boundaries. He didn't mind most of the time, but today felt different. She seemed truly distracted.

Shit, she thought. She'd lost focus again. All that Bobby had done for her had been running through her mind a lot lately. She looked at Dean and started to smile and then realized that the man who had been watching them was walking toward them, a look of true astonishment in his eyes and a beaming smile on his face.

'I was only looking for him,' the man started to say, staring directly at her now. 'I knew of his blood and that he would be wanted, but you…you are ideal. You are the key. You could be used in so many ways…' the man almost crooned.

Dean started to rise, 'Listen, pal-'

Ripley shot from her seat and stood directly before the man. His eyes started to glow in a bright blue light and Ripley knew that the man was an angel. Not a powerful one, but a scout or minor messenger from the hierarchy Gabriel had once explained to her.

Ripley felt Dean behind her and felt him put his hand on her arm, intending to drag her back behind him. She shook his hand off and placed a hand on the stranger's chest. The glow from his eyes died immediately. The man looked concerned.

'You are needed,' the man said. 'Michael needs warriors. He needs you,' the man nodded to Dean, 'and him. You are found.'

'We are nothing,' Ripley said to the man and raised her hand, pushing him away from her with her powers. He crashed across the restaurant they had been sitting in, into the wall leading towards the kitchen. He reappeared immediately, triangle shaped silver blade in hand. Ripley felt her own diamond-shaped blade appear in her hand, called by her use of magic.

Dean was stunned into inaction. He had no idea who this guy was, or what he was talking about. And…did his girlfriend just use magic?

Ripley felt the vibrations in her arm as her blade and the angel's blade met with great force. She had no idea why the angel wanted Dean, but she knew why he would be interested in her. After all of the work Bobby and Gabriel had done for her, she wasn't going to let it go to waste and allow this angel to give away her location, or Dean's. She knew what she had to do, wishing there were some alternative.

The angel attacked again. He was fast and strong, but he wasn't made for combat. Ripley had been trained by an Archangel and had the powers almost equal to one. She faked an attack to the right and as the angel moved to block, she switched her blade hand and stabbed him in the left side of the chest.

As restaurant patrons and workers ran out the door, the man froze. His blade dropped to the floor and an intensely bright, white light began to emit from his eyes and his mouth, causing Ripley to shield her eyes and to block Dean's sight from the angel. In seconds, the light became so bright and hot that it swallowed the man from sight and then disappeared. In the place where the man stood, his broken body now lay surrounded by the faint outline of feathered wings.

Ripley felt great sadness as she watched the angel die. She wished there could have been some other way, but she'd heard the angel send out the message to the angel network – or Angel Radio, as Gabriel called it. The message said he'd found 'The Sword of Michael.' The message also referenced Awan, so the angel had sent notice about her as well. Her shoulders sagged. She worried what this might mean after everything that had been done to protect her. No one outside of Bobby and Gabriel knew her secret. Not even Dean.

'It means you are no longer safe,' said the warm voice at her side.

She turned and saw Gabriel looking down at the burnt out husk of a body with his own sadness. He turned to her and she saw the fear in his eyes and felt her own eyes begin to prick with tears. He held his arms out and she went into them, much as she had as a little girl. She was shaking. She'd never had to use her training before. Bobby had never let her hunt with him so that her secret could be protected.

'What the Hell is going on?' Dean Winchester bellowed to the empty restaurant as he watched Ripley run into the arms of the dark-haired man who had appeared out of nowhere. 'Who are you? And,' he turned to Ripley, a dark look going across his face, 'What are you?' he asked her.

'Your questions will be answered Dean Winchester, but not here.' Gabriel said. 'We must leave this place. Now!' Gabriel made a motion with his hand and suddenly, the three of them were standing in Bobby's kitchen.

Bobby turned off the water in the sink at the sound of the flapping of wings. He turned and saw Gabriel holding Ripley, who still had her bloodied angel blade in her hands. Dean was standing next to him, a multitude of emotions rolling across his face.

Bobby's gaze met Gabriel's and the angel nodded. It was time.

* * *

'They've found her.' Gabriel said matter-of-factly to Bobby. 'The exact location didn't go out, but they know that she's alive.' After Ripley's family had been wiped out, Gabriel never told any angel in Heaven where she had been sent. Although she didn't have a common first name, there were enough humans alive with that name to ensure she wouldn't be found easily.

'Demons?' Bobby asked.

Gabriel shook his head. 'No, angels,' he sighed. 'There are some problems in Heaven right now. Some…management issues.' He said. 'They found her because they were looking for him.'

Bobby felt ice forming in the pit of his stomach. 'The found her.' He repeated. Then he looked at Dean, a question rising in his mind. 'Because they were…looking for him?

'Yes,' Gabriel replied. 'Much like demons, angels can visit this world when a human agrees to be their host. The best, the strongest vessels for angels are those humans that are directly descended from Abel and Cain. We know that Ripley is a descendant of Cain. What we didn't realize is that she is dating a descendent of Abel. One who is foretold to be the blade of the Archangel, Michael.' Gabriel stared pointedly at Dean.

'I'm what?' Dean asked.

'He's what now?' Ripley said.

'They're dating? What?' Bobby asked in exasperation. 'How…why…when did that happen?'

Gabriel stared at the three people in front of him, feeling the mix of strong emotions, particularly love. He could not understand how he had missed this situation before now. He'd known that the Winchesters were descendants of Abel. He had NOT realized that Dean, and his brother Sam, were the ideal vessels for the leaders of the two factions that were destined to battle in the coming apocalyptic war: Michael and Lucifer. Dean was to be Michael's sword and Sam was to be Lucifer's triumph.

'What the hell are you?' Dean asked softly. He was looking at Ripley with hurt in his eyes, mixed with awe and fear. She realized that he was afraid of her. She took a step towards him and he put his hands up to signal her to stay where she was. She swallowed back her own fear that the request to stay away from him would be permanent.

'I am the last daughter of The Blood of Awan,' Ripley stated quietly. 'I am the last White Witch, the only one who can stop The Mark of Cain and The First Blade. It is my destiny to return Cain to his rightful place at Awan's side and to destroy the Mark that binds him and the First Blade that gives him his power.'

Dean looked from Bobby to Ripley to Gabriel and then to Bobby again. 'Cain? The Cain? As in Cain and Abel, that Cain?'

All three nodded at him.

Dean began to laugh, looking around at the others in the room with disbelief. He stopped laughing when he realized all three stood staring at him. 'This is for real?' he asked them. They all nodded at him and he slowly sank into the chair at the table. 'I think I need to sit down,' he said.

'Dean, your father is a descendant of Abel. The bloodlines of Cain and Abel are the strongest hosts for Angels.' Gabriel looked at Dean apologetically. 'Angels can make do with anyone who is willing to be a host, but they will burn out quickly if they aren't compatible or powerful humans. Those with the ancient bloodlines of Abel and Cain are the strongest human hosts. You and Sam are direct descendants of Abel. They will go after your father first, as he is also a vessel. Eventually, the Angels will come after you, too.'

Ripley turned to look at Gabriel. 'Why? Why now?' She asked. 'Cain hasn't been seen in over a century and a half, and…'

'The Angels are trying to bring about the Apocalypse. If you get caught in the midd-' Gabriel began

'What?' Dean asked. 'That doesn't make any sense. I thought Angels were supposed to fight against the end of days.'

Gabriel tried to keep the conversation lighthearted. 'That was the original plan. Then, well, God disappeared and my brothers are tired of wai-'

'God…DISAPPEARED?!' Bobby thundered. 'How does God just disappear?'

'Well, Bobby, he went for a walk and took a right instead of a left and never came back!' Gabriel said irritably to the other man, finally losing his patience. 'And he doesn't call or write or tell us what to do and so, Angels are tired and fed up. They want the Paradise that was promised and the only way to do that is to jump-start the Apocalypse.'

Gabriel turned and looked at Ripley. 'You need to go, just like we've talked about.' He looked at Bobby, who was nodding, a great sadness coming over his features. 'Just like we've planned.' Gabriel said to the man.

Gabriel suddenly reached out and touched Riley's forehead. She let out a howl of pain and started to fall backwards. Dean caught her and held her up, staring accusingly at the angel. 'What did you do to her?'

'I covered her in Enochian sigils.' Gabriel replied.

Dean looked down at Ripley in his arms. They both looked at her skin and saw no marks.

'There's nothing on her,' Dean stated.

'I imprinted them into her bones,' was Gabriel's response.

'Ewww. Gross.' Ripley said. 'That hurt like hell. Why would you do that to me?'

'The Sigils will make it so that Angels cannot see you. Your mark already keeps you hidden from demonic tracking, now the marks on your bones will hide you from angels tracking you also.' Surprisingly, he felt himself holding back tears as he continued. 'It will even keep you hidden from me.'

Ripley was stunned. The night that Gabriel had rescued her from the car accident that had killed her father he'd brought her to the safest place that he knew. He told her that he was going to try to save her mom, but that she needed to stay with his friend, Loki, for a little while until he could return to protect her. He'd promised her that day that he would always be able to find her, would always protect her.

For him to say that no angel would ever be able to find her again made Ripley realize what she would have to do.

She looked at him and Bobby and nodded so that Dean would not notice. They had made this plan a very long time ago, hoping never to have to enact it. There could be no good-byes. There could be no continued friendships and intertwined lives. She would need to leave. And she would need for her secret to be kept at all costs.

'We will need to leave immediately,' Gabriel said. 'I will be able to-'

'No,' she said quickly. 'I will take care of it.'

She looked directly into Gabriel's eyes, hoping that he could see that she was ready and that she needed to do this part. She needed it to be part of her memories, even if it wouldn't be part of theirs.

'Take care of what?' Dean asked. 'What the hell is going on now?' he demanded.

Ripley turned to him and took his hands in hers. She looked into his eyes and saw all of his feelings reflected there that weren't making it to his stoic face. 'I gotta go babe,' she said. 'I can't stay here anymore. It'll be too dangerous for you and Bobby and Sammy.'

'Why? Did that angel tell anyone about finding me…you…us? Why can't we fight together, especially now that I know you can…' he looked at her, despair in his eyes as realization hit that she was really talking about leaving. 'We can work this out together.'

'You can't Dean,' Bobby said gently, walking over to the younger man and putting a hand on his shoulder. As stunned as he had been with the revelation about Dean and Ripley, he was more surprised he hadn't seen it prior to today. 'She needs to leave. It's the only way to protect her. No one can know who she is.'

'But, I already know who she is!' Dean exclaimed. 'And, I love her, so-'

Ripley's heart pounded with joy and sadness at the same time. Dean had never said those words to her, nor her to him. As tears started to escape from her eyes, she pulled him to her and kissed him with all that she could. She put every ounce of love that she felt for the boy before her into the kiss and let her magic flow through her and into Dean.

'I love you, too,' she whispered as she pulled away. She looked into his eyes one last time and watched as they started to go blank. Dean's eyes closed as he slipped into unconsciousness. Bobby caught him from behind and slowly put him back into the chair he had been sitting.

When Dean Winchester awoke, he would not have any memory of Ripley Jean Singer. She turned and walked out of the kitchen. She couldn't say good-bye to Bobby yet. She needed a few more minutes before she could handle that.

Bobby turned and looked at Gabriel. 'You'll need to do this to Ellen Hargrove also.' Bobby raised his hands as the angel started to complain. 'I know, I know. We weren't supposed to tell anybody to protect her. I'm sorry, but I was raising a girl. I knew nothing about raising kids, much less a girl. So, Ellen knows and you'll need to go work this magic on her.'

Gabriel nodded, not happy about the situation, but understanding it all the same. Bobby didn't realize that Gabriel was going to do a spell to ensure than anyone, anyone at all who had knowledge of Ripley's existence, much less her secret, would have their memories of her erased. No one would even know that she existed once he was done.

Gabriel held his hand out to the man before him. 'Thank you Bobby Singer. You are a great human being. When I asked for your help all those years ago, you could've said no. You had no responsibility to bear this burden, yet you did. I will always be in your debt, even if you do not remember me.'

Bobby gulped back the emotions rising up inside of him. 'Thank you, Gabriel. Even though I won't remember it...you gave me something that I never thought I'd wanted, until I thought it was too late.' He grasped the angel's hand. 'What will ha-'

Gabriel's spell went into action the moment Bobby shook his hand. The blue light exploded from them like an electromagnetic pulse. As it coursed away from them, pictures of Ripley disappeared from the house, replaced by pictures of Bobby and the boys or other hunters. Mementos, scattered clutter, and all proof that Ripley had ever lived in this house, ever existed at all, disappeared from sight. The spell would continue until all proof of Ripley's existence was gone, the memory of her erased from all who knew her.

Bobby's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he started to collapse. Gabriel caught him and gently sat him in the chair next to Dean. An almost empty bottle of whiskey and two slightly used glasses appeared on the table in front of the two men. When they awoke, they would both have the mother of all headaches along with fuzzy thoughts that they could logically attribute to the alcohol.

Gabriel looked around, wanting to ensure that he hadn't missed anything. He took one final look at Bobby, realizing he would miss the visits he'd had with the man over the years. They would never meet again in this capacity and that saddened him. Humans had taught him emotions, this one man and the woman he had raised in particular. The loss of this connection would always be one he would regret.

He turned and walked out of the kitchen and out of Bobby Singer's house for the last time.

* * *

Ripley put her 'go' bag in the trunk, next to her weapons bag and her spell ingredient pack. As she closed the trunk, she turned and saw the rapidly moving blue light emanating from the house. She raised a protective shield around herself and Girl. The anger pounding in her right now provided her with extra strength for the defense and she'd needed it against Gabriel's spell.

She was fuming as she watched him moving from the house. 'How dare you?' she seethed. 'I wanted to say good-bye. I deserved that. He deserved that. You had no right to take that away from me!'

Gabriel looked at her with a steady gaze. 'I know. I'm sorry,' he said. 'It was the last thing I could do as your protector. Your heart already broke once today. I didn't want you to have to do to Bobby, what you had already done to Dean.'

Ripley felt the tears falling from her face for the first time since she'd felt Gabriel's spell surround her. Gabriel held his arms out to her and she ran into them again. He engulfed her in his arms and held her as she sobbed, the pain of once again losing her entire family was almost too much for her to bear. She cursed Awan and Cain and God. She wished, not for the first time, that she was not the last in the line of a biblical prophecy.

'So,' she snuffled into Gabriel's shoulder, 'I'm never going to see you again?' The thought caused her to want to sob again, but she composed herself and withdrew from his embrace.

'No,' Gabriel replied gently. 'At least, not like this. But, I will be able to visit you in dreams on occasion. You'll just need to call for me there and I can find you.'

A bit of hope, she thought. Not completely alone for the rest of my life.

'Ok,' she said.

'You need to leave,' Gabriel stated. 'Angels are on their way. They are searching for local hosts now. They'll come here, but there'll be nothing but a small trace of your power. Not enough for them to follow. And,' he sighed, sadly, 'there will be none here, or anywhere, who will remember you.'

Gabriel stared at the young woman before him. She was the replica of Awan, especially with her dark hair. Her eyes though, were the exact shape and color blue of Cain's. She was unique from those that had come before her. None had needed to carry this burden alone

She was the last. There were no more left in the line. Plus, the nature of her powers, and how she was raised, would always make her fight for good and would also cause her to cross paths with more things that would like to destroy that goodness in her. He could not help her anymore. He'd trained her and taught her everything that he could about her powers and how to fight. Her time with Bobby had taught her everything about being a hunter, which meant she would be able to survive in this world.

'Which is too bad,' he said to Ripley, startling himself. He had never been sentimental, as humans called it. This girl made him...feel, much like Awan had so long ago. 'You deserve to be remembered. You are remarkable.' He hugged her to him one last time. 'I left you one final present in your car. The last thing I can truly do for you.'

Ripley looked at the angel and smiled. 'I love you Gabriel.'

And with that, Ripley Jean Singer turned and walked over to Girl, her beloved car. She got in and saw the small black wallet on the seat. She opened it and looked at the ID with her picture staring back at her. Her primary driver's license identified her now as RJ Smith. There were also a variety of credit cards with various names, and additional IDs behind each credit card that corresponded to the name on the credit card.

A bank account register lay next to the wallet. She opened the register and saw the amount that had been deposited that very morning. The bank account was registered to a trust fund in another name that was not associated with any of her credit cards. It identified that she would want for nothing for a very, very long time with the funds that Gabriel had provided to her. She turned the ignition and without looking back drove away from her family, her home, her love and her angel.


End file.
